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Young, Gifted And Annoyed - part 3 of 1 2 3

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She adds: "I'm an avid fan of prime lenses too. I just love the dreamy, blurry effect they provide. And when it comes to lighting I've used Bowens heads and accessories exclusively since I was at college.

"I find the settings so easy to operate. And they're so portable. I'm just starting to get to grips with the ringflash too - it offers a whole new dimension.

I have to admit I am a huge fan of natural light, but the lighting effect you get with Bowens is incredibly close to natural. I am a big fan of their softboxes too. I use them all the time. The keywords for me are 'natural and soft'. I hate harsh lighting - it doesn't suit my 'fantasy' style of shooting at all.

She continues: "When I started I just didn't much care about the lighting. I just took the pictures and then 'Photoshopped' the hell out of them. But when Bowens gave me the chance to use their kit I decided to get my act together and taught myself the basics of lighting.

Now I just couldn't imagine working without their gear.

I just keep on experimenting. I also do some shoots outside and I get people to hand-hold lights and move them around the model...I just keep on testing to see what will work and what won't.

Now I know what I'm talking about with lights I can just look at a magazine image and judge which lights were used and exactly where they were placed."

She says: "Now I can see why photographers believe that lighting can be up to 90% of the shoot. It's true."

Recent Lara Jade clients include Lavazza, Sony Music, BBC, The British Hairdressing Awards, Graphite Records, alongside publications such as LUSH, What? Magazine, Wound, and Cliche Magazine

So what's next?

Says Lara: "I've signed with Milan-based agency Sudest57 and I'm collaborating with another photographer friend of mine, Lindsay Adler, on our new Fashion Photography Intensive Workshops. "I have high hopes for these workshops - we will be taking them all over the world to major cities, like San Francisco and New York." We will show other photographers how to build portfolios and how to shoot fashion. We'll go through the entire process of a shoot; how to choose a model, how to pose a model; how to use lighting for the best effect; how to work with the creative team things. All the key stuff."

And even at just twenty Lara is already keen to give something back to the profession. "To get where I am I have had a lot of help from the online community, she notes. "Young, aspiring photographers have helped me get where I am, so I will always give back where I can."

And after the sexism rant, does she still photograph men?

"I have to admit I tend to prefer photographing women. They're just more enjoyable to work with on a shoot. You can play around with hair and make-up ideas, and I like to turn a shoot into a bit of fun - put some music on and have a bowl of sweets to keep us all going."

"It's not that I don't like to photograph the male sex" she concludes. "I just like delicate features and figures. In fact, any men that I do photograph tend to be quite feminine looking."

• Young, Gifted And Annoyed page 1
  
• Young, Gifted And Annoyed page 2
  
• Young, Gifted And Annoyed page 3
  

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